1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates to shock absorbing devices and more particularly to a new and improved structure resistant to the transmission of forces of impact and adapted to form an integral part of articles subject to impact forces by the user of the articles.
While the structure of the present invention will be described more particularly with respect to fabricating footwear of the type having shoe upper affixed to a sole including inserts for such footwear, the present invention is also useful in forming other articles requiring cushioning and impact absorptive features.
2. Description Of Prior Art
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,805,319 and 4,656,670 relate to the encapsulation of a cellular insert, formed of various woven cellular components, or fabricated to a grooved design formed of a series of linearly woven strands, each of which presents various voids or cavities within their formed structure, and then foamed in place within a polymer formed sock liner or insole for use within footwear.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,297,796 relates to a shock-absorbing athletic shoe having a foot-cushioning inner sole member to one face in which, and to at least a portion of the rim in which, is bonded an open-mesh web. The web includes elongated, interwoven stretch-resistant strands which are disposed at oblique angles relative to the shoe's long axis. These strands act as force-transmitters with respect to the sole member, and cause a localized foot-produced deformation in the member to be "distributed" to other regions in the member.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,096 relates to a custom molded insole for supporting the human foot in a ski boot or other footwear. The insole is a one-piece, thin, contoured blank of semi-rigid, bendable, resilient material molded to include the complete detail of the full plantar surface of a foot. The insole provides a four-point contact with a supporting surface or ski boot at the heel, great toe, and at least two spaced metatarsal heads to provide natural balance and proper dynamic positioning of the foot and immediate energy transfer between the foot and various footwear such as a boot/ski when skiing.
While these prior art patents provide improvements in the areas intended, there still exists a great need for a cushioning and impact absorptive structure which is resistant to the transmission of impact forces and useful in fabricating articles such as footwear including inserts for footwear which are subject to such forces of impact while being relatively simple in construction form.
Accordingly, a principal desirable object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved cushioning and impact absorptive structure having the foregoing characteristics.
Another desirable object of the present invention is to provide a structure for fabrication of the insole and which is predetermined and designed for cushioning and absorbing impact forces through the sole of the shoe to the foot of the wearer thereby reducing foot fatigue as well as actually reducing the energy necessary to run and actively partake in an athletic event.
Another desirable object of the present invention is to provide a cushioning and impact absorptive structure which is readily adaptable to form an integral part of articles which are subject to forces of impact.
A still further desirable object of the present invention is to achieve the above desirable objects with an essentially simple structure, lending itself to inexpensive mass-production.
These and other desirable objects of the invention will in part appear hereinafter and will in part become apparent after consideration of the specification with reference to the accompanying drawings and the claims.